Buying goats is definitely a long term commitment as they can easily live to more than ten years. The oldest female goat on our farm died at 16 years of age, and another died at 14. Most of our does have died around age 12 or 13 while bucks usually die by 9 or 10. You might expect bucks to live longer since they don't get pregnant or make milk, but I suspect … [Read more...]
What do goats eat? It depends!
Many new or aspiring goat owners ask what goats eat and expect a short, simple answers. Some just expect you to say, "Everything!" because they even eat tin cans, right? Um, no, they don't eat tin cans. And they don't eat everything. Compared to cows, goats actually have a fairly sensitive digestive system, so it's fairly easy to create a problem. The answer to the question … [Read more...]
Deworming Goats
Although it appears there are about a dozen chemical dewormers on the market, all fall into one of three categories. Drugs in the same category have a similar mode of action and work to kill similar worms. Deworming goats correctly is an important step in preventing dewormer resistance. When I was writing the first edition of this book five years ago, a new dewormer that was … [Read more...]
Learning to milk a goat
You may think that only you need to learn to milk a goat, but it's not a natural thing for a goat to let a human take her milk. So, the goat also needs to learn to be milked. This is why it's a great idea for you to get an experienced milker as your first milk goat. At least one of your knows how it works. However, that's not usually possible. So, before we talk about … [Read more...]
Goats vs. Cows: The Ultimate Comparison
When we first moved to the country, I didn't give much thought to goat vs cow. I thought we needed a goat to make "goat cheese" and a cow for all of our other dairy products, such as milk, cream, cheddar cheese, yogurt, and so on. Before I learned the error in my thinking, we had already purchased two cows, in addition to three goats we bought. If you grew up drinking … [Read more...]
What’s the difference between alfalfa and grass hay?
When I got started with goats I barely knew the difference between hay and straw. Although I quickly learned that hay is food and straw is bedding, I just assumed that all hay was the same. That is definitely not the case. Alfalfa, clover, and peanut are legume hays, while timothy, oat, bermuda, and orchard are examples of grass hays. If you're sitting there thinking … [Read more...]
Goat Bloat
Many people think a goat is bloated when it simply has a large belly. I have seen many people post online, “My goat has been bloated for several days,” which is impossible. A goat with bloat will die within hours if not treated. If a goat’s belly has looked unusually large for several days, it is probably a hay belly, which is most likely caused by parasites. A goat with a … [Read more...]
12 fun facts about goats
It probably comes as no surprise to hear that goats are my favorite animals. In addition to their incredible personalities, they are also just really fun creatures. But they are also misunderstood, so here are a few fun facts. Goats are browsers, not grazers No, that does not mean that they prefer walking through the farm supply store checking out the latest … [Read more...]
Beginner’s Guide to Raising Goats
Whether you already raise goats or you are thinking of getting a couple, you've come to the right place. This Beginner's Guide to Raising Goats includes links to some of Thrifty Homesteader's most useful goat posts. Caring for goats is not difficult or time consuming, but you do need up-to-date information. There are three basic challenges to raising goats. First, most of us … [Read more...]
Copper Deficiency Case Study
We’d had Nigerians for three years when I purchased Muse, my first LaMancha, a yearling in milk. At six months fresh, she dried up, which was disappointing, but I was eagerly looking forward to her kidding the next spring. We never saw her come into heat until December, even though we had two wethers with our does to help detect heat cycles. Because I didn’t own a … [Read more...]
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